Ch8 Flash cards

Front

What is a bacteriophage?

Back

A virus that infects and replicates within bacteria.

Front

What does RNA polymerase do?

Back

It synthesizes RNA from a DNA template.

Front

What is a promoter?

Back

A DNA sequence that initiates transcription of a gene.

Front

What is a nucleotide?

Back

The basic building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base.

Front

What is messenger RNA (mRNA)?

Back

A type of RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome for protein synthesis.

Front

What is an operon?

Back

A cluster of genes under the control of a single promoter, functioning together.

Front

What is a double helix?

Back

The structure of DNA, consisting of two strands twisted around each other.

Front

What is ribosomal RNA (rRNA)?

Back

A type of RNA that is a component of ribosomes and is essential for protein synthesis.

Front

What is an exon?

Back

A segment of a gene that codes for a protein.

Front

What are base pairing rules?

Back

Rules that describe how nucleotides pair with each other (A with T, C with G in DNA; A with U, C with G in RNA).